THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 2, 1997 TAG: 9702010572
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY AKWELI PARKER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 75 lines
The technology behind personal computers is advancing at a dizzying rate, but the thought of buying a new system every few years makes many consumers just plain queasy.
Companies such as Saint Charles, Ill.-based Cyber Exchange, which recently opened a store in Virginia Beach, are trying to connect with these customers, many of whom are perfectly content with their DOS-based, 386 processor, low-megahertz machines.
``I think people are getting tired of trying to keep up with technology,'' says Virginia Beach Cyber Exchange co-owner Andrew Christie.
Christie surfed into the company's homepage on the Internet in June 1996, convinced business partner and old Navy buddy David Dodsworth to start a franchise with him and opened shop in the Hilltop area by December.
Cyber Exchange isn't the first company to cash in on old chips. Minneapolis-based Grow Biz, International has recycled computers on a large scale since 1990 with its chain of Computer Renaissance stores in the United States and Canada.
Both chains say they are still expanding.
``People come in saying, `I've got a 386 and no CD-ROM,' '' Christie says, echoing the frustration of customers who aren't ready to pull the plug on an investment that's only a few years old.
One of the biggest problems with owning such a system - no speedy Pentium chip, comparatively midget-sized memory - is finding programs to run on it.
Software developers are all but beholden to build their creations to Windows95 and Windows NT standards and stuff them with more and more memory-hogging bells and whistles.
But Cyber Exchange has a mix of the old and the new, on CD-ROM, 3.5-inch diskettes and even the venerable 5.25-inch ``floppy'' disk. The chain's database includes about 43,000 titles for IBM-compatibles and Macs.
``We've gotten a very good response from people,'' Christie says.
For computer veterans whose shelves are cluttered with golden oldies like Zork and Dungeons and Dragons, Cyber Exchange will buy the titles for up to 40 percent of their current market value and sell them to somebody else, or give the seller in-store credit.
In addition, all the stores are linked electronically and can instantly check inventories at the other 40 stores nationwide.
Sellers aren't required to have the original box, but it will boost the resale value. Including the original disks and instructions, though, is a must.
``It keeps everything legal,'' Christie explains.
So having old software that won't crash your feeble system is great, but what happens when the computer starts bugging out for other reasons?
Getting the parts and people to fix it can be a real pain in the processor. Christie says Cyber Exchange has that end covered as well, with its full-service hardware department.
``We build, upgrade and repair, as well as sell used systems,'' Christie says.
``And we do virus check everything that comes in the door.''
The store, however, does have limits on how far back into antiquity it can go - don't expect to bring in that old Commodore 64 that's been in the attic for nearly a decade.
``We draw the line at a 386 DX for IBM-compatibles. We'll take Macintosh systems, too,'' Christie says.
``We do like the Nintendo and Sega game cartridges and I like to listen to the customers.''
In an age where big box superstores such as CompUSA and Best Buy have run smaller stores out of business, Christie says stores like his will survive by placing utmost importance on customers: listening to them, developing relationships with them and doing things the superstores might not.
Since the Virginia Beach store's opening in December, two people have requested Amiga software, but Christie says he doesn't plan to stock any - for now.
``If I get enough people come in and ask for something, I'll get it. You have to look and see what the demand is and take advantage of it.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by BETH BERGMAN, The Virginian-Pilot
Andrew Christie, co-owner of Cyber exchange in Virginia Beach